Polemic

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Polemic \Po*lem"ic\, a. [Gr. ? warlike, fr.? war: cf. F.
     pol['e]mique.]
     1. Of or pertaining to controversy; maintaining, or
        involving, controversy; controversial; disputative; as, a
        polemic discourse or essay; polemic theology.
        [1913 Webster]


  
     2. Engaged in, or addicted to, polemics, or to controversy;
        disputations; as, a polemic writer. --South.
        [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Polemic \Po*lem"ic\, n.
     1. One who writes in support of one opinion, doctrine, or
        system, in opposition to another; one skilled in polemics;
        a controversialist; a disputant.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              The sarcasms and invectives of the young polemic.
                                                    --Macaulay.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. A polemic argument or controversy.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  polemic
       adj : of or involving dispute or controversy [syn: {polemical}]
       n 1: a writer who argues in opposition to others (especially in
            theology) [syn: {polemicist}, {polemist}]
       2: a controversy (especially over a belief or dogma)

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  88 Moby Thesaurus words for "polemic":
     Kilkenny cats, Philadelphia lawyer, altercation, apologetics,
     apologia, apologist, apology, arguer, argufier, argument,
     argumentation, bicker, bickering, blood feud, brawl, broil,
     casuist, casuistry, cat-and-dog life, combat, conflict, contention,
     contentiousness, contest, contestation, controversialist,
     controversy, cut and thrust, debate, debater, defense, disceptator,
     disputant, disputation, dispute, donnybrook, donnybrook fair,
     embroilment, enmity, feud, fight, fighting, fliting, flyting,
     fracas, fuss, guardhouse lawyer, hassle, hostility, hubbub,
     imbroglio, litigation, logomacher, logomachist, logomachy, mooter,
     open quarrel, paper war, passage of arms, pilpulist, polemicist,
     polemics, polemist, quarrel, quarreling, quarrelsomeness, rhubarb,
     scrapping, set-to, sharp words, slanging match, snarl, spat,
     squabble, squabbling, strife, struggle, tiff, tussle, vendetta,
     verbal engagement, war, war of words, warfare, words, wrangle,
     wrangler, wrangling